Category: Places

3rd September 2015 Gundvangen, Norway Much before the advent of the modern trolls that we know of on the internet, there were supernatural beings called 'trolls' in Scandinavian mythology. Usually depicted as ugly, scary, human-like beings, these original trolls are a big part of Norse folklore. No wonder that it’s kind of hard to miss... Continue Reading →

23rd August 2015 Bern, Switzerland While roaming around Bern’s historic center, I stumbled upon a giant outdoor chess set. A riveting game was on between two evenly matched players who had contrasting styles – one man who was always in a hurry and the other who was calm and took his time to make a... Continue Reading →

11th March 2013 Hampi, Karnataka, India Animals have traditionally been accorded a special place in Hindu mythology as vehicles of gods or deities themselves. That is the reason some animals are considered sacred even today in Hindu culture. Apart from the ‘Holy Cow’ which is considered the most sacred of all animals, elephants are a... Continue Reading →

9th August 2015 London, England The Lord’s Cricket Ground in London is often called the Mecca of Cricket and travelling there to watch a test match is considered to be equivalent to Haj pilgrimage for a cricket fan. Being a diehard cricket enthusiast from childhood myself, I could not imagine leaving London without visiting Lord’s.... Continue Reading →

Antalya, Turkey (8th October 2014) In Turkey, cats are everywhere. The Turkish fascination for cats becomes apparent particularly in the cities where they are omnipresent. Whether you are wandering the cobble-stoned streets of Istanbul or taking in the sights of the magnificent mosques of Sultanahmet, whether you are exploring the old town of Antalya or... Continue Reading →

4th January 2013 Tay Ninh, Vietnam I thought I knew my world religions. I thought I had seen all the well-known religious places of worship - a Hindu temple, a mosque, a church, a monastery, a synagogue and even a gurudwara. And then travel managed to surprise me once again! When in Vietnam, I found... Continue Reading →

Alleppey, Kerala, India (28th January 2015) Going around the backwaters of Alleppey provides a fascinating sneak peek into the different facets of local Keralan life. One such example was when I saw a man dipping into the water repeatedly and emerging after a few moments. I thought he was taking a bath or probably swimming.... Continue Reading →

24th December 2013 I do not believe in ghosts. But I do like ghost stories. As a child, I was brought up on a diet of spine-tingling ghost stories, and I remember feeling thrilled while listening to those, although they were meant to put us to sleep. After I grew up, I seldom got that kind of excitement when... Continue Reading →

Shravanabelagola, Karnataka, India (15th August 2014)Hinduism as a religion is a very attractive lure for many foreigners visiting India. More often than not belonging to a monotheistic faith themselves, they marvel at the hundreds of gods that Hindus worship. As I was walking near the Shravanabelagola temple in Karnataka, I noticed these idols of Hindu... Continue Reading →

San Francisco, USA (1st June 2014) If you have ever been to San Francisco, you will know that the trams are much more than a means of transportation in the city. In fact, the cable car running in some parts of the downtown is as much an iconic attraction as the Golden Gate Bridge is.... Continue Reading →

Paris, France (21st September 2008) No river captures the essence of a city like the river Seine does. The river is the lifeline of Paris, and also it’s most beautiful attraction. It is no wonder that the city developed around this huge water body and most of the major sights in the city are located... Continue Reading →

Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India (25th December 2013) As we were strolling through the by lanes of desert town Jaisalmer, some soothing Rajasthani folk tunes wafted out from nearby, something which we had heard in other parts of Rajasthan also. We found the source of music to be a middle-aged turbaned man, presumably from the desert, playing... Continue Reading →